It was always a little difficult to see how he would get much use out of them – black leather is hardly papal style and revving engines don't chime well with quiet contemplation.

So the auction in Paris on Thursday of the pope's Harley-Davidson motorcycle and jacket – with the combined proceeds of almost €300,000 (£250,000) going to charity– seemed to make a lot more sense.

After a bidding war lasting six minutes, the auctioneer Bonhams said the 1,585cc bike – given to Pope Francis by Harley-Davidson last June and signed by the Argentinian pontiff – was sold to a private buyer in Europe for €241,500.

The jacket, meanwhile, also signed by Francis, went to an anonymous "overseas buyer" for €57,500, Bonhams said.

The money will go towards the renovation of a hostel and soup kitchen in Rome run by the charity Caritas.

Ben Walker, head of motorcycles at Bonhams, said: "I am thrilled with the result achieved and am very pleased for the charity. It has to be a world record for a 21st-century Harley-Davidson and certainly for a Harley-Davidson leather jacket."

The reserve price for the Dyna Super Glide had been just €12,000, but Walker had acknowledged that it was unknown how much the identity of its previous owner would affect the sale price.

"In my whole career I've never had more interest in one motorcycle than this one and it's gone viral. I've had inquiries from across the globe," he told the BBC before the auction.